Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
North American cover art
Developer(s)	KnowWonder (PC) Argonaut (PS) Griptonite (GBC) Eurocom (GBA, GC, Xbox, PS2) Aspyr (MAC)
Publisher(s)	EA Games Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Series	Harry Potter
Engine	Unreal Engine 1.0 (PC and MAC) Argonaut proprietary engine (PS) Argonaut new proprietary engine (PS2, XBOX, GC)
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, MAC
Release date(s)	Game Boy Advance EU 5 November 2002 NA 14 November 2002 JP 23 November 2002 Game Boy Color EU 15 November 2002 PC & Xbox NA 14 November 2002 EU 15 November 2002 PlayStation, PlayStation 2 & Nintendo GameCube NA 14 November 2002 EU 15 November 2002 JP 23 November 2002 MAC NA 10 April 2003
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 action-adventure game published by Electronic Arts and developed by both EA's internal development team and Eurocom for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance systems. It was simultaneously co-developed by Amaze Entertainment for Windows, Mac and the Game Boy Color systems. An original version was also created for the PlayStation by Argonaut Games. This was also the last game released for the Game Boy Color in North America and the last Harry Potter game to be released on PlayStation.

Gameplay [edit]

The game's core gameplay is simple. Taking control of Harry, the player explores Hogwarts castle and grounds. Throughout the course of the game, the player will encounter events that tie into the storyline of the second book.

Filling the gaps between these events are various classes, where the player will learn how to fly a broomstick and learn new spells for combating bosses, among other things. Each new spell is accompanied by a challenge, which the player must get through in a certain amount of time to complete that class period. During the later parts of the game, the player will face challenges which are not time-limited and are not related to learning spells. These challenges are all based on events from the book, for example travelling into the Forbidden Forest and gathering ingredients for a potion Hermione is making.^[1]

Spells [edit]

• Flipendo: Knocks back enemies and flips switches.
• Lumos: Emits light to see in the dark and find secret panels.
• Diffindo: Severs ropes, vines, and tapestries that blocks doors and chests.
• Expelliarmus: Repels or disarms your opponent's spells.
• Skurge: Clears ectoplasm that blocks doors and chests.
• Avifors: Transforms statues or rocks into birds.
• Incendio: Produces bluebell flames to burn spiderwebs that blocks chests.
• Alohomora: Unlocks locked doors and chests.
• Fetch Boy, Fetch: Calls Hagrid's Dog, Fang. (This was only in the beta, having it on the final game crashes it.)

In the Game Boy Color version of the game, you have to level up different spells. To level the spell to "Duo" You need to use it 25 times. To level up to "Tria" You need to use it 50 times.

Plot [edit]

Harry Potter can't wait to leave the non-magical world behind after a dreadful summer with the Dursleys, who have locked him in his room for a long time, for his second year. But during the summer holidays, he receives a message telling him that mortal danger awaits if he returns to Hogwarts, before being rescued by Ron, Fred and George in their dad's flying car.

After a short stay with the Weasleys, he then goes to Diagon Alley to buy his school things. There, he encounters Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous wizard for his good deeds, and he insists a photo shoot with Harry. He also meets Draco Malfoy, his arch-enemy, who makes fun of him for being unable to go into a bookshop without making the front page. Malfoy's father, Lucius, then gives Ginny a little book, saying it's the "least he can do for the poor and needy". After buying all their stuff, Harry and Ron realize that they've missed the Hogwarts Express. They take the flying car to go to Hogwarts, but the car cuts up, and they crash into the Whomping Willow. They escape, but the car flies away by itself all of a sudden. Although they are scolded for their doings, they are happy to be back at Hogwarts.

As the new term starts, the grave prediction he was warned about seems to be coming true. Strange and terrible events occur. Also, Harry begins hearing voices through the walls. One night, Harry finds Nearly Headless Nick and Mrs. Norris petrified, with the words"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR... BEWARE." slashed with blood on the wall.

After pleading with the teachers, the teachers finally tell the students the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salzaar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw were the founders of Hogwarts. Godric, Helga and Rowena all agreed that Muggle-borns can also go to Hogwarts, but Slytherin disagreed, and eventually left, but before leaving, he constructed a chamber, which would be named, "The Chamber of Secrets", that houses a huge monster, and that only the "Heir of Slytherin" could open it.

Harry, Ron and Hermione join a dueling club. As Harry is dueling with Malfoy, Malfoy casts a snake, which attacks the students, but Harry suddenly says a combination of hisses(although he was actually saying "Leave them alone"), and the snake leaves. Hermione then tells Harry that he, without knowing it, had just spoken Parseltoungue, the language of snakes, and speaking Parseltoungue was what Salzaar Slytherin was famous for, which might make people think that Harry is descendant of him.

With the bloody words still in mind, Harry thinks that Malfoy is the heir of Slyherin, so Hermione makes a Pollyjuice potion to disguise Harry as Goyle. After it is done, Harry sneaks into the Slytherin common room. Harry questions Malfoy, and although Malfoy is not the Heir, Malfoy does reveal that 50 years ago, the chamber was opened and a Muggle girl was killed. Now, he personally hopes that the chamber will be opened again and Hermione will be killed.

Meanwhile, after changing back. Harry finds a black book, that turns out to be the diary of a boy named Tom Marvolo Riddle. The diary takes Harry back 50 years into a memory of Tom Riddle. There, Harry witnesses Hagrid being confronted by Tom, who accuses Hagrid's pet, a baby acromantula named Aragog, and is blamed for opening the Chamber of Secrets and is expelled. After that, just as Ron and Hermione are discussing about it, Harry finds that the diary has been stolen. Harry decides to go to Hagrid's Hut in the grounds to talk to Hagrid, and he sees Lucius Malfoy arresting Hagrid, and telling Dumbledore that, he, being the head of the educational department of the Ministry of Magic, and the other twelve members feel that it is time for Dumbledore to "step aside". He follows Lucius an Hagrid into the forest, and finds a grown up Aragog, now a gigantic and deadly Acromantula, who tells him that he had been thought to be the monster who had been harming students, but it had actually been a much larger and frightening creature, and had killed a girl in a bathroom, before he tries to kill Harry, but Harry is saved by Ron.

After getting back to the school, they find that Hermione has been petrified, and find a piece of paper in her hand, which talks about a creature called the balsilk. With razor sharp teeth and deadly eyes that whomever looks into will die, the balsik is the king of monsters. Harry figures out that Hermione had been petrified after seeing the balsilk's eye through a mirror, and that Mrs. Norris had seen its reflection in a puddle of water, and Nick was petrified just because he was already dead. Harry realizes that the girl Aragog had said was killed was actually Moaning Mrytle, the ghost who haunts the suspended girl's bathroom, before it is announced that Ginny has been kidnapped by the monster. All students are ordered to stay in their common rooms for safety. Gilderoy Lockhart, is given the task of getting Ginny back, although Harry and Ron learn that he actually doesn't know much, and he actually just took credit for others doings.

Concluding that the entrance to the chamber is in the girl's bathroom, they go there with Lockhart, and Harry opens the chamber by speaking parseltounge. After jumping miles under the school, Lockhart grabs Ron's broken wand and tries to erase their memory, only for it to backfire at him, and it hits him so hard, that the roof falls in on him and Ron. Although they are safe, they cannot get out, so Harry continues on to the chamber alone. After finding the chamber, Harry finds Ginny lying unconscious on the floor, the diary next to her. Tom Riddle suddenly comes out of the diary as a ghost and says that he had stored his sixteen year-old self in the diary, and after feeding on her memories, he became strong enough to have his soul come back. He then calls the basalisk and then Dumbledore's pet bird Fawks suddenly comes out and attacks the balsilk. Using the sword of Gryffindor, which he finds on the floor, he defeats the balsilk, and stabs Tom Riddle's diary, destroying Tom's soul. Ginny then wakes up, and apologizes for her actions, explaining that Tom had made her slash the walls with words, and also she had stolen the diary too.

Dumbelore's place is restored after the members of the educational board decide to stand up to Lucius, who is also sacked. Finally, the House Cup ceremony begins. Malfoy taunts Harry, telling them that they will not steal the Cup from them like last year, but much to their surprise, Slytherin lands in second place, and Gryffindor wins! The Gryffindors happily celebrate their victory.

Versions [edit]

The PlayStation version of the game is a sequel to the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone game and was also developed by Argonaut Games. It retains many elements and graphics from its predessor but with some places in Hogwarts being expanded or moved as well as new mini-games that are played as the storyline progresses. Many old spells learned from the previous game return while new ones are learned by attending the Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.

There are also slight differences between the three other console versions of the game. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game allow the player to access a broom and enter free-flight mode. While the PlayStation 2 version allows the player to land anywhere they want, in the Xbox and GameCube version the landing zones are limited. In the GameCube version, there is an exclusive feature involving GC-GBA connectivity that allows a secret room to be opened in the GC version when connected with the GBA version of the game.

The PC/Mac version of the game, which was created by a different developer than the console versions, features completely different levels and gameplay from the console cousins. The game features the same graphics and character design as the Philosopher's Stone (PC). It also retains all the spells learnt in the previous game and involves the player learning more new spells by attending more classes at Hogwarts.

The Game Boy Color version is a typical role-playing game. However, it lets you play as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Gilderoy Lockhart at various points in the game. The Game Boy Advance version has the fewest spells. It is based on the PS2/XB/GC and Mac versions. It is mostly made up of mini-quests (unlike other versions, except GBC).

Reception [edit]

• IGN Xbox: 8.7^[15]
• IGN GC: 8.9^[16]
• IGN PS2: 8.4^[17]
• IGN GBA: 7.8^[18]
• IGN PC: 8.0^[19]

The Xbox version received a platinum family hits edition for selling over 100,000 copies. It received strongly positive reviews.

Awards [edit]

The musical score for the game, created by Jeremy Soule, was awarded a BAFTA Games Award for Best Score, Game Music Category.^[20]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official website
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at Eurocom

We're sorry, but there's no news about "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)" right now.